Iga Swiatek recently hired Francisco Roig as her new coach.
After Swiatek fired Wim Fissette, several names were rumoured to be replacing the Belgian.
Among them, Caroline Wozniacki’s dad, Piotr Wozniacki, appeared to be the early favourite for the Swiatek coaching job, but later ruled himself out of the role.
How many Grand Slam titles will Iga Swiatek win with Francisco Roig as her coach?
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Polish tennis legend, Wojciech Fibak has now delivered his verdict on Swiatek’s appointment of Roig, explaining why other options may have struggled.
Wojciech Fibak thinks Martina Navratilova may have struggled with ‘small conflicts’ in Iga Swiatek’s coaching box
Four-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Wojciech Fibak shared his thoughts on Swiatek’s decision during an interview with ‘WP SportoweFakty‘.
“I support this decision. Working with [Francisco] Roig and the [Rafael] Nadal academy is a very good choice,” said Fibak.
“Rafa has always been Iga’s idol. She respects him greatly and values his opinion. Secondly, they are both known for their excellent topspin on the forehand, which Swiatek has been failing at times lately.
“For over a year, all of Iga’s crises stem from the fact that she can no longer rely on her greatest weapon, her forehand.
“The Spaniard is cultured, kind, and it’s easy to establish a good professional relationship with him.
“He’ll quickly establish rapport with the entire team, and there won’t be any disagreements with the rest of the team.”
A lot has been said about one member of Swiatek’s team in particular, her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz.
During a recent interview, the 24-year-old’s junior mentor, Artur Szostaczko, suggested Abramowicz undermined the work of Swiatek’s coaches.
Fibak believes Roig will work well alongside Abramowicz, but questions whether bigger names, like tennis legend Martina Navratilova, would have struggled.
“If it were a name like Martina Navratilova or Brad Gilbert, there might be some minor conflicts over who was more important,” he said.
“Navratilova would be more demanding. Roig won’t do that.
“He’s always been an assistant, playing a supporting role. He only occasionally replaced Nadal’s great coaches. However, he has vast knowledge and will be a non-confrontational person.
“That’s the most important thing. Iga has enough challenges on the court to also worry about maintaining good relationships in her box.”
Navratilova, a legend of the game, has limited experience coaching.
She did, however, briefly work alongside another Pole, Agnieszka Radwanska.
They were largely unsuccessful together, though, and parted ways after just four months.
Martina Navratilova’s record as a coach (Agnieszka Radwanska)
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins |
| 2015 Hopman Cup | Champion | 3 (Casey Dellacqua, Heather Watson, Serena Williams) |
| 2015 Sydney International | Second round | 1 (Alize Cornet) |
| 2015 Australian Open | Fourth round | 3 (Kurumi Nara, Johanna Larsson, Varvara Lepchenko) |
| 2015 Fed Cup WG 1R vs Russia | Loss | 0 |
| 2015 Dubai Tennis Championships | Third round | 1 (Caroline Garcia) |
| 2015 Qatar Open | Quarter-final | 1 (Flavia Pennetta) |
| 2015 Indian Wells | Third round | 1 (Alison Riske) |
| 2015 Miami Open | Fourth round | 2 (Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Irina-Camelia Begu) |
| 2015 Katowice Open | Semi-final | 3 (Yanina Wickmayer, An-Sophie Mestach, Klara Koukalova) |
| 2015 Fed Cup WG PO vs Switzerland | Loss | 1 (Martina Hingis) |
| 2015 Stuttgart Open | First round | 0 |
Radwanska shared the following message on X upon the conclusion of their coaching relationship.
“I just wanted to thank Martina [Navratilova] for her time and efforts over these last few months,” she said.
“It was a great experience to work with one of the all-time greats.
“However, we both agreed that as Martina could not commit 100% to the project, then it was not going to work as a long-term partnership.
“We will stay friends, and I wish her all the best in her personal and professional life.”
Recovering from a slow start to the season, Radwanska enjoyed a strong 2015 campaign, winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals.
Navratilova clearly wasn’t the right coach for Radwanska, and according to Fibak, she wouldn’t be the right fit for Swiatek either…
When will Iga Swiatek play her first tournament with Francisco Roig?
As the six-time major winner looked for a new coach, Swiatek withdrew from Poland’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against Ukraine.
She is, however, still expected to compete at the Stuttgart Open.
Last year, Swiatek lost to Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart quarter-finals.
She’ll be hoping for a better showing this time around, looking to kickstart the Swiatek/Roig era with a big win.
The 2026 Stuttgart Open begins on Monday, April 13.
